Abstract

Adoption of Cloud Computing is on the rise[1]and many datacenter operators adhere to strict energy efficiencyguidelines[2]. In this paper a novel approach to scheduling ina Cloud Computing context is proposed. The algorithm MaxminFast Track (MXFT) revises the Max-min algorithm to bettersupport smaller tasks with stricter Service Level Agreements(SLAs), which makes it more relevant to Cloud Computing.MXFT is inspired by queuing in supermarkets, where thereis a fast lane for customers with a smaller number of items.The algorithm outperforms Max-min in task execution times andoutperforms Min-min in overall makespan. A by-product of investigatingthis algorithm was the development of simulator called“ScheduleSim”[3] which makes it simpler to prove a schedulingalgorithm before committing to a specific scheduling problem inCloud Computing and therefore might be a useful precursor toexperiments using the established simulator CloudSim[4].